Lifestyle

Puddonplussweet

Lakayda Brown, who got an early introduction to the hair business from her hairstylist mother, has been in that world since she was 18 years old when she opened her own salon. She transitioned into wig making after noting the convenience of the tool for those who simply did not have time to brave the commonplace hours-long salon wait.

Brown's big break came after her training at Dornid's School of Beauty Culture, when she entered the Jamaica National Beauty and Barber Competition. Out of both her entries, she came third one year and first, the other. The competition gave her great exposure, allowing the growth of her local and international customer base. She uses this same international reach to develop her craft using mediums like social media, receiving training from international stylists, and enrolling in the Hair Diagram international private classes for lace frontal instals. It is these same standards of personal and professional development techniques that she requires that her team apply to ensure optimum customer satisfaction and the smooth operation of her salon in her absence. Brown and her staff view customer feedback and satisfaction as incredibly important; she notes that her edge comes from the incorporation of her customers' desires and following up on popular hair trends to keep them coming back.

She credits the inspiration for her professional pursuits to her passion for hair and the desire to create job opportunities for other stylists — including some of her own protégés. Known mostly for hair extensions, Brown hosts one-on-one training sessions that highlight wig making and frontal installation techniques, among other things.

Her salon also retails clothes and accessories and most notably, her Puddonplussweet custom-made wigs. Recently, Brown launched her Bad Hair Day collection which features her custom wigs — with a twist. Clients are able to get a wig of their choice sewn into a cap. This means that the wig, made even simpler because you can skip the wig attachment step, is as easy as throwing on a cap. Customers have the added option of choosing what hair, and subsequently, what style to use in the cap. While she doesn't sell hair extensions just yet, Puddonplussweet sometimes provides the hair for customers' wigs.

Her salon does not operate by appointments, but rather on a first-come, first-served system. There is also a register placed at the entrance of the salon overnight, to which clients can add their names for service the following day.

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